Mid-Week Post

Some quick thoughts....


An election this summer has been averted. McGuinty still sucks:

A summer election in Ontario was averted Wednesday with the passage of the minority Liberal government’s budget.

Despite forcing the Liberals to make several changes, such as delaying corporate tax cuts and adding a tax on incomes over $500,000, the New Democrats did not vote for the budget.

The NDP abstained on the final vote, leaving the Liberals to outvote the Progressive Conservatives 52-to-35 to pass their budget, avoiding the automatic defeat of the minority government.

The biggest thing Quebec needs to worry about is English signs, not a restive student population and the damage it has caused:

Major Canadian retailers are preparing to fight Quebec’s language police to keep their trademarks intact, in the face of threatened prosecution of English-named companies that include no French in their storefront signage.

Montreal’s downtown streets and suburban shopping malls are awash with such brands as Banana Republic, Old Navy, Sunglass Hut, Foot Locker and Home Depot, and the Office québécois de la langue française has decided things have gone too far.

The Office last month began mailing warnings to dozens of companies that have not co-operated with its push to have stores with trademarked English names add generic French terms to their signs. For example, Second Cup has added “les cafés” before its name and the eyewear chain New Look added “lunetterie.”

How is North America responsible for Europe's failures?

Taunted by a Canadian journalist as to why North Americans should "risk their assets" to help bail out rich Europe, Barroso snapped: "Frankly, we're not here to receive lessons in terms of democracy or in terms of how to handle the economy. By the way, this crisis was not originated in Europe. Seeing as you mention North America, this crisis originated in North America and much of our financial sector was contaminated by, how can I put it, unorthodox practices from some sectors of the financial markets."

Wow, how much self-deluding error can you pack into a 50-word temper tantrum? It's only a detail, but how hard must it have also been to choose a Canadian to pick on for your "I've completely lost it" outburst? 

Herman van Rompuy, the European council president (the job Tony Blair says he turned down) echoed the complaint: "We are not the ones that are so-called responsible for the economic problems all over the world."

Oh dear. Many errors have been committed in many countries since the start of the latest global economic crisis in 2007. But Canada's cautious banking system – founded by Scots Presbyterians and still run by them – and its regulators were unusual in avoiding most of the folly. They are among the world's best.

As for democracy, Canada is a conscientious and scrupulous member of the international community. Surely, even insulated Brussels statesmen must know that? No, I don't think we can blame Canadians for Greece's dilemma.

(thanks)



Oh, for the love of pie....

Peter King’s latest hearings on the radicalization of American Muslims are under way, and a Democratic lawmaker used his allotted time to wonder why there are no hearings on radical Christians as well. Texas’ Al Green, the grandson of a Christian minister, said in his five-minute speech that he “oppose[s] hearings that don’t focus on the entirety of radicalization,” reports the Raw Story.

How stupid do you have to be to even think this? Is this guy so desperate for a distraction that he would even utter this?

Related: as equally stupid:

Lefty Blogger Accuses Ann Romney of “Racism” After She Says They Won’t Take As Many Vacations As The Obamas…

Any criticism levelled at Obamas will be racism if you're leftist enough.


 It was only a danger seventy million years ago.


That is all.